EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Think of the Super Bowl and you think of excess: Big money, big parties, big crowds and an even bigger mess left behind when the circus leaves town. Well, at least the messy part is getting smaller. Beginning in the 1990s, the National Football League has sought to gradually reduce the footprint left behind by the Big Game, and the league is taking steps to make the Feb. 2 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium the most environmentally friendly yet, from planting trees to offset carbon emissions to composting food waste to using biodiesel to power generators. "We try and stay ahead of the curve," said Jack Groh, a consultant who directs the NFLs environmental programs. "We try and push the envelope every year." Most of the attention focused on this years Super Bowl is, understandably, on the challenges of holding it outdoors in the Northeast for the first time. Another, less-celebrated first: MetLife Stadium will compost food waste on game day, the first time thats happened at a Super Bowl. Its not new for the stadium. Dave Duernberger, MetLife Stadiums vice-president of facilities, said the stadium produced 195 tons of food waste for composting last year, up from 153 tons the year before. Duernberger expects about seven or eight tons to be generated during the Super Bowl, which will go into a giant compactor and then be trucked to a local facility for processing. The end product can be used for landscaping. Another innovation is the use of biodiesel fuel processed from waste cooking oil. According to Groh, a biodiesel mix will be used in generators that will power Super Bowl Boulevard, the 13-block party on Broadway that will feature entertainment and a giant toboggan slide, as well as generators that are augmenting the power supply on the MetLife Stadium grounds. The head of Public Service Electric & Gas, the utility that provides power to the complex, has estimated that it will take about 18 megawatts of electricity to power the entire complex for the game, or what would be needed to power 12,000 homes. Of that, PSE&G president Ralph LaRossa said as much as six megawatts could be provided by the generators. Greening the Super Bowl has been a passion project for Groh, who started out as a journalist before forming an environmental communications firm with his wife. He did his first work for the NFL at the 1994 Super Bowl in Atlanta, at a time when the simple recycling of plastic bottles and cans at stadiums was a significant step forward. He continuously seeks out new ways to wring as much value out of things that normally would be discarded. For example, in the weeks leading up to this years Super Bowl, the NFL sponsored e-waste recycling events in New York and New Jersey that collected 9,000 pounds of old phones, computers and other gadgets, according to Verizon, which partnered in the program. Tens of thousands of trees have been planted in the metropolitan area to offset carbon emissions created by the game, Groh said. After the game, the league will donate several miles of fabric signage to nonprofits or other groups for repurposing. In New Orleans, Groh said, local designers took the fabric and used it to make purses, dresses, shower curtains, beanbag chairs, tote bags and wallets. "Our primary objective is to see that it doesnt go to a landfill," he said. The efforts have drawn a thumbs-up from the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, whose president, Jeff Tittel, called the programs "good for the environment and good for the NFLs image." 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We tried to get him before the deadline but I don’t think there’s been any movement on that one. Defoe signed a four-year deal with TFC prior to the 2014 Major League Soccer season, but was rumoured to be unhappy in Toronto mid-way thhrough his first season.dddddddddddd In 19 games with the club in 2014, Defoe scored 11 goals. He would help lead Toronto FC to a strong start, with a 6-1-4 (19 points) record in the clubs first 11 contests. However, injuries would keep Defoe off the pitch for much of the second half of the season, with rumours of his return to the Premier League resurfacing near the end of the Fall transfer window. He appeared in just six contests after July 16, failing to score a single goal for the remainder of the season after 11 in 13 matches. “I’m a big fan of Jermain’s – I’ve signed him enough times, Redknapp said. He’s a goalscorer and a player you’d obviously like at your club if possible, but the figures would have to be right. I haven’t spoken to the chairman about it yet. We’ll see. I know what we need.” ' ' '